Bet Me [Hardcover]

Jennifer Crusie (Author)

Book Description

Release date: February 10, 2004 | Series: Crusie, Jennifer

This is New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jennifer Crusie's novel about long shots, risk management, true love, and great shoes. . . .

Minerva Dobbs knows how to work the odds.
Calvin Morrisey always plays to win.

But when they face off, neither one is prepared.
Because when real life meets true love, all bets are off. . . .

Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet, even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs, even if she does wear great shoes and keep him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.

But fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all---true love.

 

Bet Me is the winner of a 2005 RITA Award.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Setting: small city in Ohio

Thirty-three-year-old Minerva Dobbs is annoyed when her current boyfriend dumps her three weeks before her sisters' wedding. But she's downright furious a few moments later when she overhears her now "ex" boyfriend bet hunky Calvin Morrisey that he can't take her home and bed her. In fact, she's so angry at them both that she lets Cal take her to dinner and decides to string him along until after her sisters' wedding. Minerva pegs Cal as a handsome "used car salesman of seducers." Cal thinks Minerva is a "cranky, starving, risk-averse statistician." But Minerva's hormones keep whispering "this one," although she knows the gorgeous Cal isn't the man for her practical, white-cotton-bra, several-pounds-over-thin, self. And Cal is blindsided by the lust he feels for the voluptuous, sensual woman he glimpses behind Min's actuary exterior. While Cal and Min struggle to deal with their mutual distrust and attraction, their friends and families try their best to interfere and direct the progression of the unlikely romantic connection.

Bet Me is unabashedly, irrepressibly romantic. In the wacky, wonderful world of Min and Cal, author Jennifer Crusie leaves no humorous situation unexplored--no potential comedic cauldron left unstirred--no hysterically funny complication left undeveloped. The reader is treated to a seemingly mismatched hero and heroine who fling caution to the winds to explore their unexpected attraction. The sexual tension is hot, the dialogue witty and wickedly sarcastic, and the supporting cast of secondary characters hilarious. Like Min's favorite Krispy Kreme donuts, this novel is rich and sinfully delicious. Indulge. Enjoy. --Lois Faye Dyer

From Publishers Weekly

Minerva Dobbs's mother named her daughter after the Greek goddess. Yet Min, who's grown up to be a curvy woman who adores carbs, isn't quite a knockout beauty and, at 33, she shows no signs of getting married anytime soon. So when the dashingly handsome (god-like, in fact) Calvin Morrissey enters Min's life and starts pouring on the charm, she's skeptical. As well she should be-it appears Cal has a $10,000 bet with some of his drinking buddies that he can get Min into bed within a month. Statistics-loving Min knows about the bet and figures she can play Cal for a month, use him as a date for her sister's upcoming wedding and then dump him right before the month is up. Alas, destiny has different plans. As Min and Cal fall for each other, Crusie pulls out the pranks, repeatedly pushing the two together and then tearing them apart. A bubbly cast of characters alternately helps and hinders romance, including Cal's ex-girlfriend, a psychologist who studies relationships for a living; a matchmaking Italian chef; and Min's friend Liza, who'll stop at nothing to make sure Min doesn't wind up with the conniving Cal. It's all cutesy, corny, romantic fun, and Crusie (Fast Women; Faking It; etc.) has created a loveable character in Min. Although some readers will be sucked into Crusie's deliberate plot, others may cringe at its predictability. With multiple references to Chicken Marsala, Krispy Kreme donuts and Midwestern brats (a fine contrast to Min's compulsively thin-thinking mother), Crusie's latest should delight romance readers with a penchant for sinful foods.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; First Edition edition (February 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312303467
• ISBN-13: 978-0312303464
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (389 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #784,874 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jennifer Crusie was researching her dissertation on the differences in the way men and women tell stories when she got sidetracked into writing romance novels.

Her first book was published in 1993 (which pretty much finished off any hope of her getting that PhD) and her twenty-second book, Maybe This Time, came out in August of 2010, all of which she considers a minor miracle, especially since she is also a New York Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly bestseller and a two-time Rita award winner.

Jenny is currently working on her new Liz Danger mystery series. She is a very happy woman.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

148 of 154 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Crusie is at her BEST.... May 7, 2004

By K. A. Stevenson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me just say that it is 6 a.m. in the morning. I have a LOT of work to do at our business today, which will be rather difficult as I HAVEN'T BEEN TO BED BECAUSE I STAYED UP ALL NIGHT reading, "Bet Me" by Jennifer Crusie. For the first time in a LONG time, I could not put the book down!

I think that it is a crime to have the Spotlight Review rating this only 2 stars!! It is one of the BEST books that I have read all year. I guess that everyone is different, but I can't believe that we were reading the same book.

Jennifer Crusie's books ALL have great dialogue, but sometimes her previous books seemed just a little too "dysfunctional" in a witty kind of way. Even though "Bet Me" has its strange moments, it is a captivating book.

The dialogue completely submerged me into the characters. The entire time I was reading it, I thought, "My God - that is exactly what people would say." It wasn't canned or stilted- it was funny, but more believable than any dialogue I think that I have ever read.

I hope that Jennifer Crusie will write more books like this. What is truly a shame though is that the first reviewer's views are far from the majority opinion of this book. Sadly, that is what too many people will look at. This really is a book worth buying. I loved the characters and especially liked the addition of the last chapter.

Excellent, excellent book.

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bet Me is a good bet! August 19, 2004

By L. Tite

Format:Hardcover

I just read Jennifer Crusie's new book, Bet Me, in one sitting. I discovered her last year and have read almost every book she's written -- and have been delighted with each and every one. She writes romantic comedies ... really good, funny, heart-warming, witty, intelligient romantic comedies.

This one is about a normal girl ... I say normal because she isn't a size two with gorgeous blond hair that catches the light just so & has the perfect job and is the envy of all around her. That's the typical romantic comedy heroine. Not in this book. In Bet Me, we have Minerva Dobbs: a slightly overweight, under-confident, intelligient, hilarious, witty heroine. I laughed throughout this book ... Crusie has a writing style that I haven't seen before. All of her books are romantic comedys, they all have unlikely heroines, and they all have animals. Usually its dogs - but in this one it's a mangy looking cat. Her books have lovable characters -- REAL characters. People you can see yourself actually knowing .... People you can see YOURSELF in. This book struck a chord with me in many ways .... but I loved a scene towards the very end. Minerva is standing in front of a mirror after putting on a dress that our hero has chosen for her and he's trying to make her see what he sees ... a beautiful and sexy woman.

If you're looking for a light, warm-hearted read .... Bet Me is a good bet!

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming! February 11, 2004

By Lani Schwalbe

Format:Hardcover

Jennifer Crusie goes for it and tells a love story the way it should be told - with total, reckless abandon. In this modern-age fairy tale, actuary Min Dobbs knows handsome Cal Morrissey is a bad risk. He's a habitual lover-and-leaver, and too charming to be up to any good. Cal Morrissey knows that love's a long shot and the best you can hope for is a good time in the mean time - and uptight Min doesn't even look like a good time in the first place. But when Fate steps in to put them together, everyone knows resistance is futile.

From delightful main characters to an engaging supporting cast, Crusie hits another one out of the park with "Bet Me." Crusie's signature tight storytelling and graceful humor are as present here as ever, but she's added a layer of mythology without apology which creates a thoroughly charming set of characters in a lovely world where fairy tales can come true. It's a good bet that you won't find a better warm fuzzy this year; "Bet Me" is worth every penny of the hardcover price.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sure Bet March 28, 2005

By Tracy Vest TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Minn lacks self esteem to go with her curvy body. Her favorite feature is her odd taste in footwear, and the belief that a girl can never have too many shoes. She just broke up with her boyfriend David (though never making the plunge and sleeping with him). The only thing that depresses her about her breakup with David is that she won't have a date to his sisters wedding.

While at a bar, her friends goad her into walking up to a cute guy - Cal Morrissey, a serial dater afraid of commitment who just broke up with his therapist girlfriend. As she makes her way to Cal, she inadvertently overhears David making a bet with him that he cannot bed the girl in the grey suit within a month. Being the gal in the grey suit, she's shocked at first, but decides two can play that game, and sets out to make Cal's life miserable for that month (and heck, he'll make a cute date for the wedding). What she doesn't realize is that he didn't take the bet, but rather just bet that he could leave with her (for $10). Though their dinner date is a bust, circumstances keep throwing the two together, and Cal and Minn slowly start to develop feelings for each other - but Minn is still hurt because of the bet. Cal is mystified that his regular charm doesn't work on her - she seems immune. The big question is whether the two can weather the storm and discover their true feelings.

With dialogue so witty and fresh that you can really imagine the conversations actually taking place, it'll have you craving chicken Marsala and Krispy Kremes. Despite their flaws, there is great chemistry between Minn and Cal. "Bet Me" was the first book I read by Jennifer Crusie. After this one, I was hooked on her writing style and sought out the rest of her books.... Her writing is so fresh, her characters so quirky and believable, and her novels just cannot be beat. Read more ›